Search and Seizure

From time to time, police forces attempt to compel journalists to turn over their materials – notes, photographs, recordings. In addition to depriving journalists of access to their work, this practice can put journalists at risk or make their job more difficult in future if they are seen as an arm of the police.
In Canada, examples of search and seizure have included taking cameras and recording devices from the hands of journalists reporting on a crime scene and the use of search warrants and subpoenas to gain access to a reporter’s work.